United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 were passed (respectively) in the aftermaths of the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars. Resolution 242 (reaffirmed in 338), was designed to provide the framework for peace negotiations based on a “land-for-peace” formula and has become the foundation of all subsequent peace treaties in the region. The resolutions called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces “from territories of recent conflict,” an Arab “termination of all claims or states of belligerency,” and a recognition of the State of Israel and its “right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.” The resolution also called for “achieving a just settlement of the refugee problem.”

As 242 and 338 call for Israel’s “withdrawal from territories” and not “the” territories as part of a peace agreement, it is understood by the drafters of the resolution and by Israel and the United States that Israel may withdraw from areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip consistent with its security needs, but not from all the territories.